More on those third-millennium alphabetic (?) inscriptions

Evidence of oldest known alphabet unearthed among Syrian tomb treasures. Cylinders discovered in 2004 are inscribed with the earliest known examples of letters, say archaeologists (Miryam Naddaf, Nature).

I have already noted this story here. But this Nature article has additional information, including comments from other specialists. It sounds as though the proposal that these are unprecedentedly early alphabetic inscriptions is holding up so far. We'll see how it looks after the formal publication.

Part of the Nature article is behind a subscription wall. But, if you are interested and you dont have institutional access, you can access it through your Google or Facebook account.

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Schniedewind lecturing on "Who Wrote the Bible?"

IN-PERSON EVENT: Who wrote the Bible? In a new book and upcoming lecture, William Schniedewind offers bold new answers (Ashna Madni, UCLA Newsroom).

Who really wrote the Bible? A Dec. 3 lecture by William Schniedewind will offer a bold new answer to that age-old question.

“Although the Hebrew Bible rarely speaks of its authors, people have been fascinated by the question of its authorship since ancient times,” said Schniedewind, the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Director of the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies and a professor of biblical studies and northwest Semitic languages. “But the Bible was not written by a single author, or by a series of single authors.”

Rather, he said, it was written by communities of scribes.

[...]

Follow the link for details on the event. More on the book here.

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Thanksgiving ... Psalms

TIMELY: Thanksgiving: A Genre in Psalms (Prof. Benjamin D. Sommer, TheTorah.com).

The elements of a thanksgiving prayer—praise, description of the crisis, calling on the audience, an acknowledgment of God’s answer, and a concluding thanks—are found in Psalm 30, recited daily in the morning service. The adaptability of this and other biblical psalms helps explain why these Iron-Age prayers are still recited around the world today.

And, of course, happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating the day.

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Hezser on Rabbinic Scholarship in the Context of Late Antique Intellectual Culture

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Why It Is Necessary to Integrate Rabbinic Scholarship Into the Study of Late Antique Intellectual Culture

Rabbinic scholarship, conducted in Hebrew and Aramaic in the eastern parts of the Roman-Byzantine Empire, is commonly excluded from the study of “classical” intellectual practices based on Greek paideia. A broader integrative approach that acknowledges both similarities and differences between rabbinic, Graeco-Roman, and Christian scholarship enables a more variegated assessment of late antique intellectual life.

See also: Rabbinic Scholarship in the Context of Late Antique Scholasticism: The Development of the Talmud Yerushalmi (Bloomsbury, 2024).

By Catherine Hezser
SOAS, University of London
November 2024

Cross-file under Forthcoming Book.

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More on the ancient Jewish site in Phanagoria, Russia

ARCHAEOLOGY: Excavations of Early Synagogue by Black Sea Find Jewish Neighborhood. Phanagoria had a large Jewish community from the first century onward, served by a synagogue that would stand for 500 years – but not be rebuilt with the city (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Ms. Schuster delivers her usual thorough coverage, with new details and photos.

Regarding those manumission inscriptions that I mentioned in my previous post:

In service at the synagogue
Jews may have been in Phanagoria before the first century, but that is the time from which there is proof of their presence – in the form of manumission inscriptions the team unearthed from 16 and 51 C.E., Kuznetsov says. The inscriptions, written in ancient Greek, mention a "house of prayer" and a "synagogue."

"These are marble tablets which document the freeing of slaves," he says. More such records were discovered from the second century. The principle was that the slave could be freed on condition that they continue to serve at the synagogue, he adds.

Background here.

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Steve Mason lecturing on "The Flavian Celebration of Judaea’s Fall"

LECTURE AT MCGILL UNIVERSITY (MONTREAL) NEXT WEEK:

From Tragedy to the Travesty of a Triumph: The Flavian Celebration of Judaea’s Fall

Prof. Steve Mason

Professor Emeritus of Ancient Mediterranean Religions and Cultures

University of Groningen

10AM–12PM

Tuesday, December 3

Birks Building,

Senior Common Room

HT reader Michael Helfield

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Nicklas, The Canon and Beyond (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Tobias Nicklas. The Canon and Beyond. Collected Essays on the History and Hermeneutics of Biblical and Parabiblical Traditions. 2024. VIII, 382 pages. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (WUNT I) 525. €149.00 including VAT cloth available 978-3-16-163756-8. Also Available As: eBook PDF €149.00.

Summary

How did the canon of the New Testament come into being? To what extent can we also speak of a history of the already existing canon? What functions were and are assigned to it in different historical contexts? What is the relationship between canonical writings and extra-canonical writings? What is the relationship between Christian apocrypha and the texts of the Bible from the Old and New Testaments? The number of questions surrounding the canon of New Testament writings and the lasting significance of apocryphal writings and traditions in relation to the canon is almost inexhaustible. This volume brings together contributions by Tobias Nicklas on these topics from the past twenty years. A particular focus is on the reassessment of Christian apocrypha and their relationship to image and rite and on understanding of canon as a dynamic entity.

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Who Was St. Nicholas?

'TIS THE SEASON? ALREADY? Who Was St. Nicholas? Was St. Nicholas jolly or holy? (Mark Wilson, Bible History Daily).

It seems a bit eager to start on this subject before Thanksgiving, but BHD has reposted this, so here it is. I have noted this essay, with comments and links, some years ago here. For an updated Rasmussen link, see here. And don't forget that medieval St. Nicholas ring.

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Longley, Herodotus: Book III (Bloomsbury)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Herodotus: Book III.

Notice of a New Book: Longley, Georgina. 2024. Herodotus: Book III. London: Bloomsbury.

With an introduction, Greek text, translation, and commentary. Follow the link for a link to the publication page.

Book 3 of Herodotus's Histories preserves many traditions about Achaemenid Persia. Some of them are questionable, but we aren't overwhelmed with sources about this period.

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Ancient Epistemologies (Mohr Siebeck, open access)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Ancient Epistemologies. Edited by Jan Dietrich, Annette Schellenberg-Lagler and Thomas Wagner. 2024. X, 318 pages. Orientalische Religionen in der Antike (ORA) 58. €139.00 including VAT. cloth available 978-3-16-163866-4. Also Available As: eBook PDF Open Access CC BY-SA 4.0.

Summary

Reflection on knowledge is often assumed to have emerged with Greek philosophy. Earlier and contemporary modes of thinking in the ancient Near East, including ancient Israel, are assumed to be archaic and often left out of the picture. Against this view, the contributors of this volume aim to reconstruct the ancient epistemologies, the »paradigms«, »discourses«, and »episteme«, that developed in the ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean region and formed the conditions for developing more distinct forms of cultural and scientific knowledge. In doing this, they include the search for second order thinking as part of ancient epistemologies: the capability to think about thinking, to adopt a theoretical attitude that involves the ability to reflect and self-reflect, to criticize and transcend the given, and to anticipate new realms by thinking outside the box. The ancient Near Eastern cultures were not characterized by a 'lukewarm mind' but they were capable, in their own cultural-specific ways, of unfolding epistemologies that included forms of second order thinking that may well be termed 'early philosophy'.

NOTE: I have just posted and then promptly deleted a post on an ancient zodiac coin. I realized the article was from 2022 and I had already noted the story here.

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Review of Corpus inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. Volume 5: Galilaea and Northern Regions

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Corpus inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. Volume 5: Galilaea and Northern Regions.

Walter Ameling, Hannah M. Cotton, Werner Eck, Avner Ecker, Benjamin Isaac, Alla Kushnir-Stein, Jonathan Price, Peter Weiß, Ada Yardeni, Corpus inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. Volume 5: Galilaea and northern regions. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter, 2023. 2 volumes. ISBN 9783110713565.

Review by
Benedikt Eckhardt, University of Edinburgh. B.Eckhardt@ed.ac.uk

The CIIP, one of the most ambitious corpus projects around, has taken a major step toward completion with the publication of volume 5, which extends its geographic coverage to the Northern fringes of Galilee, the modern border between Israel and Lebanon. ...

For more on the Corpus inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae (CIIP), including reviews of earlier volumes, see here and links.

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Goff, The Apocrypha: A Guide

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Apocrypha: A Guide

Matthew Goff

Guides to Sacred Texts

Paperback
Published: 19 November 2024
328 Pages | 10 b/w illustrations
210x140mm
ISBN: 9780190060749

Also Available As:
Hardback
Ebook

Description

Many readers of scripture, particularly in North America, are not aware that a substantial number of books were removed from their Old Testament. These books, often known collectively as the Apocrypha, were considered scripture for centuries and for millions of Christians today still are. This book is an introduction to the Apocrypha. It discusses ancient and early modern disputes about scripture to provide context for understanding the formation of the textual category “Apocrypha.” Each chapter focuses on a specific book, examining its core themes and ideas. The cultural and historical context of the composition of each book is analyzed in its ancient Jewish milieu. This historical context is often elucidated by the Dead Sea Scrolls which have only in recent years been published in full. The later reception of this material in rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and other modern cultural contexts such as art and literature, is also discussed. This book is designed to be read along with the texts of the Apocrypha themselves, as presented in the New Oxford Annotated Bible.

The present volume is written not primarily for scholars but rather for anyone who would like to learn more about the Apocrypha. This book was shaped by an overarching conviction-that people who know next to nothing about the writings covered in this volume would enjoy reading them. If you have heard something about the books of the Apocrypha and want to know more about them, this book is for you.

Removed from the Old Testament or added to the Hebrew Bible? Either, both. Depends on your frame.

The paperback is out. The status of the hardback and ebook is not clear to me from the website, but they may be out too..

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Jewish gladiators in ancient Rome?

HISTORY AND CINEMA: There aren’t Jewish fighters in Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II.’ But what about in ancient Rome? The real history of Jewish gladiators, from Reish Lakish to Kirk Douglas (Luke Tress, JTA).

It’s at least as likely that Jews took to the arena in ancient Rome as it was that gladiators fought sharks, a key plot point of Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” the hotly anticipated action movie that landed in theaters this weekend. A sequel to 2000’s “Gladiator,” which ended with the death of Maximus (Russell Crowe), “Gladiator II” casts no light on the possible history of Jewish gladiators; its strongest Jewish connections are the presence of Jewish actors, including Israelis Lior Raz and Yuval Gonen and former “Great British Baking Show” host Matt Lucas, in its cast. They join Kirk Douglas, who starred in 1960’s “Spartacus,” in the ranks of Jews who have portrayed gladiators on screen.

But many have occupied themselves with questions about the role of Jews in ancient Rome’s famous bloodsport, including whether fights took place in ancient Israel and what Jews thought about the activity, whether or not they participated. Here’s what the scholars and evidence have to say.

A long, informative article, which interviews Lawrence Schiffman and other scholars.

For more on that possibly Jewish gladiator's helmet, see here and links. For the more general question of whether there were Jewish gladiators, see here.

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The Cippi pilllars are reunited in Malta

PHOENICIAN WATCH: Ancient pillars back together on Maltese soil after over 240 years. Heritage Malta, Louvre collaborate to showcase historic Phoenician pillars central to deciphering ancient alphabet ( Emma Borg, Times of Malta).

For the first time in over 240 years, two ancient pillars - which are to Phoenician script what the Rosetta Stone is to Egyptian hieroglyphics - have been reunited on Maltese soil.

The Cippi of Malta are two marble pillars from the second century BC, that are historically significant due to the bilingual Phoenician and Greek inscriptions carved into them.

These inscriptions tell the story of two brothers making a sacred offering to the Phoenician God Melqart. Importantly, they were instrumental in deciphering the Phoenician alphabet, a breakthrough French scholar Jean-Jacques Barthélemy achieved in 1758.

[...]

As the article notes, the pillars were also reunited in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi in 2023.

For detailed accounts of the decipherment of Phoenician using the Cippi pillar inscriptions, see here. And see also here.

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TC 29 (2024)

THE ETC BLOG: New Volume of TC is Out (Tommy Wasserman).

Volume 29 (2024) of TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism has just been published. This volume contains five articles, four notes and one "pedagogical note" (a new feature). The volume is not yet complete. Some reviews and an extensive review article will be added soon.

[...]

Meanwhile, lots of interesting articles are already there. Follow the link for author-titles, abstracts, and links.

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Crossley & Keith (eds.), The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus (Eerdmans)

NEW BOOK FROM EERDMANS:

The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus
Edited by James Crossley and Chris Keith

Imprint: Eerdmans

656 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in

HARDCOVER
9780802882707
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
$64.99
£52.99

EBOOK
9781467465786
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
$64.99

DESCRIPTION

A diverse group of scholars charts new paths in the quest for the historical Jesus.

After a decade of stagnation in the study of the historical Jesus, James Crossley and Chris Keith have assembled an international team of scholars to envision the quest anew. The contributors offer new perspectives and fresh methods for reengaging the question of the historical Jesus. Important, timely, and fascinating, The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus is a must read for anyone seeking to understand Jesus of Nazareth.

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Olson, Second Enoch: A Samaritan Apocalypse (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Second Enoch: A Samaritan Apocalypse

Series: Studia Judaeoslavica, Volume: 16

Author: Daniel C. Olson

This study marks a bold new departure in 2 Enoch studies. The book has long been regarded as one of the most baffling apocalypses to come down to us from antiquity. The present work argues that 2 Enoch was written by a 1st c. CE Samaritan author whose purpose was to incorporate the Enochic tradition into Samaritanism. By identifying Enoch as the “prophet like Moses” (Deut. 18:15, 18), both during his earthly past and in the eschatological future, the author of 2 Enoch hoped to combat the Dosithean heresy and also to persuade co-religionists to resume a full sacrificial cultus in the shadow of Mt. Gerizim.

Copyright Year: 2025

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-71451-9
Publication: 14 Oct 2024
EUR €115.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-71450-2
Publication: 17 Oct 2024
EUR €115.00

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An Iron Age Israelite palace in Jordan?

ARCHAEOLOGY AND ICONOGRAPHY: Archaeologists Identify Possible Ancient Israelite Palace in Jordan. Decorated stone blocks unearthed at Mahanaim may be leftover of Israelite rule over the area where the bible sets the story of Jacob wrestling with God (Ariel David, Haaretz).

Stone blocks decorated with scenes of lions and banquets, found strewn upon a hilltop archaeological site in Jordan, may have once been part of an ancient Israelite palace built some 2,800 years ago, two leading Israeli scholars conclude in a new study.

The incised ashlar blocks unearthed at the biblical site of Mahanaim, just east of modern Dayr Allah in Jordan, are likely remains from the time when the Kingdom of Israel ruled over part of this region, the researchers say.

[...]

The open-access underlying article is in the journal Tel Aviv:

Finkelstein, I., & Ornan, T. (2024). An Israelite Residency at Mahanaim in Transjordan? Tel Aviv, 51(2), 217–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2024.2385148

Abstract

In this article we deal with the site of Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi in the valley of the az-Zarqa River, the biblical Jabbok, in Jordan. We discuss a group of incised ashlar blocks found there, probably dating to the first half of the 8th century BCE. We suggest that the blocks originated from an official building, a residency or a gate complex, not yet excavated, and propose thematic similarities with visual imagery from Kuntillet ʿAjrud. We then show that this site can be securely identified with biblical Mahanaim and point to several biblical verses that may hint at the existence of a North Israelite residency there.

For the epigraphic and iconographic discoveries at Kuntillet ʿAjrud, see here and many links, plus here and here.

Also, the nearby town of Dayr Allah, mentioned above, is the site of Tel Deir 'Alla (Deir Alla), where the Northwest Semitic Balaam inscription was excavated. It dates to around the same time as this palace. I don't know if that is signficant, but it seems worth mentioning. More on it here, with many links. And for an intriguing corpus of alphabetic Northwest Semitic cuneiform inscriptions from the same site, see here.

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Prof. Tawny Holm awarded NEH grant

ARAMAIC WATCH: National humanities group awards grants to four Liberal Arts-affiliated projects. Hemingway Letters Project, Matson Museum, Tawny Holm and Elizabeth Kadetsky to benefit from National Endowment for the Humanities funding (Josh McAuliffe, Penn State).

Congratulations to all the award recipients, but notably to Professor Tawny Holm:

Holm and her colleague, University of Notre Dame faculty member Dan Machiela, received a $50,000 Collaborative Research grant for their project, "The Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls at the Crossroads of Empire: Negotiating Jewish Life under Foreign Rule,” which is focused on how the Aramaic texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls interpret and reinterpret Jewish experiences under foreign rule during the first millennium BCE.

Follow the link for additional details

I have noted Professor Holm's work on the ancient Demotic Aramaic-Canaanite Papyrus Amherst 63 here, here, and here.

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Miss Lebanon goes Phoenician

PHOENICIAN SARTORIAL WATCH: Miss Lebanon Nada Koussa Wows Miss Universe With A Traditional Lebanese Dress Celebrating Phoenician Heritage (Natalie Haddad, The 961).

At the Miss Universe preliminaries, Miss Lebanon Nada Koussa captivated the audience with a jaw-dropping display of heritage and elegance in a striking traditional Lebanese costume designed by the talented Joe Challita.

The stunning ensemble was an homage to Lebanon’s rich Phoenician legacy, bringing to life the ancient story of Tyrian purple – a color that once symbolized royalty and power.

The costume itself is inspired by (apparently 19th century) "traditional Lebanese dress wear," not ancient Phoenician attire, about which latter we know next to nothing. But it's made in honor of Tyrian purple, so I give Miss Lebanon and the dress designer, Joe Challita, full credit for effort.

Tyrian purple and the Israelite telekhet dye were both made from the murex snail. For many PaleoJudaica posts, see here and links.

Also, congratulations to Miss Denmark on winning this year's Miss Universe competition.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.